Written on 07 June 2022.

Ridgewood Police Department Recruitment Plan

RIDGEWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT RECRUITMENT PLAN

GOALS and OBJECTIVES:

The goal of the Ridgewood Police Department is to attract qualified individuals to pursue a career with the Ridgewood Police Department. The objective is to achieve an overall racial and gender composition of the department in comparison to the service population of the Village through the department’s recruiting activities. The goals and objectives will be accomplished through various recruitment activities listed in the Recruitment Activities section of this plan.

GENERAL:

The Ridgewood Police Department is a New Jersey Civil Service Commission jurisdiction and must adhere to New Jersey State Statutes and Administrative Code in its recruitment and selection process.

Ridgewood has a residency preference in all hiring matters. Applicants must be a bona fide resident of Ridgewood at the time of the closing date of the New Jersey Department of Personnel Law Enforcement Test. Once Ridgewood residents have been exhausted from the Civil Service Certification List, Bergen County residents are then provided with preference. If the Bergen County list is exhausted, applications will be open to residents of the State of New Jersey.

The Recruitment Plan is prepared realizing the current economic conditions in New Jersey where there are officers that have been laid off due to budgetary constraints. Those officers may be the first recalled for employment pursuant to New Jersey State Statutes and Administrative Code. Furthermore, laid off officers from other jurisdictions listed on a “Rice list” may be considered for employment pursuant to New Jersey State Statutes and Administrative Code and the normal competitive testing selection and recruitment process is bypassed.

Ridgewood is an equal opportunity employer in all facets of the personnel process. The Chief of Police is responsible for the administration of the Recruitment Plan.

CURRENT DEMOGRAPHICS:

The demographics composition of the service area and agency are represented in the following table:

	Service Population		Current Sworn Officers		Current Sworn Officers Female
	#	%	#	%	#	%
Caucasian (Non-Hispanic)	25,269	86%	41	93%	2	5%
Black (Non-Hispanic)	520	2%	1	2%	0	0%
Hispanic (any race)	2,598	9%	2	5%	0	0%
Other	849	3%	0	0%	0	0%
Total	29,336	100.0%	44	100%	2	2%

RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES:

If an open competitive test is to be announced:

Activity #1: Identify and maintain contact with local minority organizations and social support groups including, but not limited to educational, religious, ethnic, racial, and gender-based organizations.

Activities include, but are not limited to:

Provide recruitment literature and materials to educational, religious, ethnic, racial, and gender-based organizations.

Contact the local Board of Education to seek permission to address high school students to interest them in a career with the agency following completion of their formal education.

Attend Career Days at local schools and community colleges.

Draft, print, and distribute informational literature that may attract qualified candidates to the agency.

Make maximum use of the Ridgewood Website to attract qualified candidates to the agency.

If applicable:

Activity #2: Make maximum use of the State of New Jersey Civil Service Commission Intergovernmental Transfer Program.